


Quoth the Raven

by VirtualNight



Category: Homestuck
Genre: Fantrolls, Original Character(s)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-04-09
Updated: 2013-07-04
Packaged: 2017-12-07 23:44:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,037
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/754486
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/VirtualNight/pseuds/VirtualNight
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Persef encounters an unusual lusus while out in the forest. The three-eyed raven asks him for help, and despite the strange circumstances he agrees. After he is lead to an injured troll named Tasman, he is certain he made the right choice. Someone so timid could not possibly be all that dangerous.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

A faint sound echoed through the forest, causing Persef to pause and look over his shoulder. Gathering these herbs would have to wait if there was some kind of wild lusus roaming about nearby. He heard the sound again not but a few moments later, and this time he recognized it as a voice. It seemed to be getting closer, so Persef packed up what he had already harvested and prepared to leave. Picking up his shovel, he held it in a tight grip close to his chest. The path to his hive would technically be taking him closer to this person so he was on the defensive.  
  
Making his way as quickly and quietly as possible, he tried to imagine what Deacon or Banquo might say to encourage him. It was the only thing he had found that would help him not to panic. Even words Cadyrn might have said came to mind, and it served to ease his heart-rate to a steadier rhythm. The next time he heard the voice he was almost able to pick out words. Had they said something about needing help?  
  
He stopped, his heart conflicting with his head on deciding what to do. If someone needed help, he didn't want to leave them out here alone. Persef was not given much time to think it over before a raven lusus flew through the branches directly above him. One of the smaller ones hit its wing and caused it to falter and fall through the leaves, almost hitting the teal-blood.  
  
“Oh no! Are you alright?” Persef fretted, rushing to make sure its wing wasn't injured. It had already hopped to its feet, and it flapped its wings a bit before looking at him.  
  
“Seems so.” came the reply, rather than the noise Persef had expected. The raven’s voice was smooth and actually rather pleasing to the ear, but that did not take much of the surprise out of the situation.  
  
“You can talk! Wow that’s so amazing. You understood me too, wow I really have never seen anything like that before-” Cutting him off with another flap of his wings, the raven spoke again.  
  
“Questions later. Will you help?”  
  
“Of course I‘ll help, just tell me what you need.” Persef stood and the lusus flew up to perch on his shoulder.  
  
“Tasman’s hurt. Go that way.”  
  
Following the direction the bird had indicated, they set off towards where Tasman was. Persef assumed he was talking about a troll, but he supposed it could just as easily be another lusus. This one certainly didn't seem wild though. He wanted to ask more questions, but this bird seemed too focused on getting back to Tasman.  
When they reached a few tightly grouped trees the raven took to the air, circling around and disappearing behind them. Persef peeked into where it had landed, his eyes widening slightly when he saw the amount of blood that had soaked into the ground around the troll hiding there. He had to be at least as tall as Deacon when he stood, but his size was the only thing that might make him intimidating. The purple-blood cringed away from Persef when he approached, but that seemed to be all he could manage, a quiet gasp escaping his throat when he moved his right leg. Wincing, he pressed his hand harder against his ankle.  
  
“I’m not going to hurt you, I promise. I just want to help.” Persef spoke softly, but he wasn't sure if saying those things would help at all. The raven lusus prodded at the other troll’s arm with his beak  
  
“Your name is Tasman, right? Your lusus brought me here, and just in time I guess.”  
  
The taller troll nodded, and with some gentle prompting, allowed Persef to look at his wound. He didn't want to waste any time seeing the condition Tasman was already in, so he retrieved the proper supplies from his sylladex and set to work cleaning the deep gashes in Tasman’s ankle. A quick glance around had enlightened the teal-blood to their cause: a large steel jaw trap. By the look of the other’s bloodied fingers, he guessed that Tasman had pried it off himself.  
  
Aside from wincing every now and then, the purple-blood was still and silent while Persef worked. His lusus had climbed up his arm and was now running his beak through Tasman’s hair in an attempt at comfort.  
  
“So..what brought you to this area?” Persef had started to apply some medicine, so he hoped conversation might take the attention away from its sting. However, he hadn't expected the Raven to reply in the troll’s stead.  
  
“Looking for friend’s hive. Got lost.”  
  
“Oh? Well..I might be able to point you in the right direction. Once you are properly taken care of, of course.” There was an edge of sternness to his tone at the last part, making sure to address Tasman directly rather than his lusus. After receiving a nod from the taller troll, Persef began bandaging his ankle. There must have been some confusion lingering in his expression, because the raven spoke up again.  
  
“Tasman is mute. Not being rude.”  
  
“No, I didn't think it rude or anything, I just wasn't really sure why he didn't answer himself. I thought it might just be that he is really shy because I have a friend that didn't talk much at all when we first met. So don’t worry about it that’s not what I assumed.” By the time he stopped rambling Persef had already moved on to tending to the cuts on Tasman’s fingers. After bandaging the smaller cuts, he took out the snack he had stowed away in his sylladex before leaving and held it out for the purple-blood to take. Tasman held his hands up in a gesture that Persef assumed meant he did not feel right taking it.  
  
“You definitely need this more than I do, losing so much blood and all. Besides, you’ll need a bit of energy to make it back to my hive.”  
  
Tasman had started to pull himself to his feet, but directed a confused look at the teal-blood.  
  
“Oh, careful there. Well, I would feel awful if I did not at least invite you in to rest for a little while…it doesn't seem like you’ll be able to walk very far without being in pain. I won’t make you stay, of course, but at least come in for some tea or something..” His sentence trailed off into a mumble and he pushed a few leaves around with his shoe. A quiet sigh caught his attention and he looked up. Bracing himself against a tree, Tasman assessed his condition, then nodded reluctantly.  
  
“Okay! Uh..hmm..I’m not sure how much I can do as far as helping you walk though..”  
  
Tasman shook his head, retrieving a shovel from his sylladex and using it as a makeshift crutch. He held the small bundle of food in his free hand awkwardly, realizing he probably should have eaten it while he was still sitting. His savior noticed his predicament, so he helped Tasman unwrap the small slices of bread, then handed one to the tall troll.  
  
The first bite was all he needed to encourage him to eat more, and before he had realized it he had consumed it all. A pronounced blush rose to his cheeks and he averted his eyes from the teal-blood.  
  
“Oh, no don’t worry. There is plenty more at my hive. You can eat all you want really, I can always make more of course. I’m sure Deacon won’t mind because he tends to eat meats more than anything.” Persef offered a reassuring smile as he finished. His new friend nodded, then looked to Huginn and made some unfamiliar gestures with his hands. It took Persef a moment to realize that it was sign language, the raven then turning to him to translate.  
  
“He says thank you. For everything.”  
  
“Oh, well you’re very welcome. Though..you’re not really out of the woods yet. ”


	2. Part 2

This was certainly a first for Tasman, sitting in a stranger’s hive after they had helped him out of a rather painful situation. He walk here had been exhausting, and though he didn’t want to burden the teal-blood it seemed like he might have to spend the day here.

Taking a sip of his tea, he looked around, taking in all the new sights. The plants placed here and there throughout the hive were well taken care of, and for a moment he wondered if such beautiful things could grow in his forest as well. It was colder there though, and most of the flora was much less delicate in appearance. He wanted to get up and look around a bit more, but the worry that he might break something was too strong to let him even try to get up. Some of the furniture, and much of the hive he noticed, was already a little beat up and it was hard for Tasman to imagine what had happened to all of it. The couch he sat on was new though. Suddenly afraid he might stain it, he put his tea down on the table in front of him. Tasman’s thoughts were interrupted by the front door swinging open then slamming, followed by a troll about his height nearly stomping down the hall to where he was. The other purple-blood caught sight of him and the scowl already set in his features deepened.

“Who the hell are you?”

Tasman could feel panic building up inside him, and that Huginn was not around to help caused him even more distress. Unable to lift his gaze from the floor, he stiffened in his place on the couch.

“Hey! I‘m talking to you!”

The other troll made his way to Tasman and jabbed at his chest as he continued in a lower, but not any less menacing, tone.

“I’m sure Persef brought you back here trying to make friends, but I don’t give a shit. Get outta here before I decide that I’m not too hungry to kick your ass.”

He shrank away from this new person, not sure what to do. Persef had told him to stay put, and that he shouldn’t be walking much. From the things the teal-blood had been saying on their way here, he guessed that this was Deacon. If his matesprit didn’t want him here, he should leave, right? Just as he was about to stand to shuffle past the aggressive troll, Persef returned from the back of the hive.

“Deacon, you’re home!” He dropped the blankets and pillows he had retrieved on the arm of the couch before wrapping his arms around the other in an excited hug.

“This is Tasman, he’s going to stay here for the day, that’s alright with you isn’t it? I mean, it’s getting pretty late and he won’t be able to make it back home or to his friend’s hive. He got kind of lost so tomorrow night I’m going to give him directions.”

Grumbling under his breath, Deacon gave in without much effort on the teal-blood’s part. This Tasman guy didn’t seem like much of a threat anyway, as he looked about ready to vomit after the weak intimidations he had already been subjected to. Giving him a final squinting glare, Deacon went in search of food.

“Sorry..he gets kind of worked up when we have guests..he just worries about me though, but I know you’re not going to hurt me. Don’t worry, he’ll come around eventually I’m sure, and maybe we can all be friends.”

With a reassuring smile Persef patted the other’s shoulder. Even though Tasman was pretty sure he would always be terrified of Deacon, he kind of hoped that he would at least be able to be friends with Persef. He was so kind and considerate, and listening to him was really interesting, especially when he started talking about plants. The purple-blood wasn’t sure he had ever met anyone so knowledgeable on the subject. He only hoped he could find a way to be half as fascinating to Persef, so that maybe he wouldn’t get bored.


End file.
